Barcelona

A Havel’s Place, located in close proximity to the Parliament of Catalonia in Barcelona’s Parc de la Ciutadella, was ceremonially unveiled on Saturday 15 February 2014. Alongside Barcelona’s mayor Xavier Trias, the ceremony was attended by Václav Havel Library founder and former Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg, the chairman of the board of the Václav Havel Library, Jan Macháček, the executive director of the Václav Havel Library, Marta Smolíková, and the mayor of Prague, Tomáš Hudeček.

Havel’s Place is a memorial dedicated to Václav Havel. It comprises two chairs linked by a round table with a tree growing through its centre. The installation of Havel’s Places is a worldwide project initiated by the Czech ambassador to the US, Petr Gandalovič, and the architect and designer Bořek Šípek. The aim of the project, which is coordinated and implemented by the Václav Havel Library, is to create a network of places in public spaces that can contribute to meeting and the holding of genuine dialogue – places where it will be possible to hold discussions and reflect in the spirit of the ideals and philosophy of Václav Havel.